Text Marketing is a great way to establish your small business as an integral part of the neighborhood. Text messages seem to be the only thing people are reading these days, and although it was made popular by gossiping teenagers – everyone is getting into it now! People of all ages and generations are using text messaging to communicate with their family and friends. No one seems to be deterred by the 160-character limitation; in fact, this requires that messages sent and received must be short and sweet – just the way we like them to be. Text messages have close to a 100% open rate, therefore it is almost a guarantee that your message will be read instantly. Businesses are starting to take notice of this communication phenomenon, and are realizing text marketing truly does have its place.
The use of text messaging continues to explode in this country as years pass, and the numbers for people in their 30’s and 40’s using this technology are skyrocketing. More people use text messaging over phone calls or emails combined. Surprisingly, SMS remains spam free – which makes it a perfect uncluttered marketing source. There is also the fact that people are never without their cell phones, therefore text messages reach them instantly. Text marketing can work in any industry, and can be applied by any business out there, large or small. Restaurants can see some great results by using text marketing, as well as retail stores, or even a doctor’s office. The possibilities are quite vast. Here are some rules to get started in text marketing:
1. Keep it legal: Even though SMS is nearly spam-free, there are people out there who are trying to upset this balance by attempting to sell text blasts to lists of random cell phone numbers. If you go this route, you can expect to be cut off by cell phone carriers – and Congress will certainly hit you with penalties. Consumers must opt-in to receive your text message marketing campaigns, so offer an incentive or two to sweeten the deal.
2. Don’t discard your traditional marketing: Text marketing is highly versatile, and can be used alongside traditional marketing methods. Restaurants can use table tents to encourage a text-in for a discount. A retail store can post a sign. You can even run a radio advertisement, instructing customers to text-in for a promotion from your business.
3. Give people some bang for their buck: People are wary about giving up their cell phone number therefore it is important to make them feel comfortable. One way to accomplish this easily, is to reward them – for those who opt-in to your text message marketing campaigns, they may have special “insider” access to promotions that others don’t have.
The use of text messaging continues to explode in this country as years pass, and the numbers for people in their 30’s and 40’s using this technology are skyrocketing. More people use text messaging over phone calls or emails combined. Surprisingly, SMS remains spam free – which makes it a perfect uncluttered marketing source. There is also the fact that people are never without their cell phones, therefore text messages reach them instantly. Text marketing can work in any industry, and can be applied by any business out there, large or small. Restaurants can see some great results by using text marketing, as well as retail stores, or even a doctor’s office. The possibilities are quite vast. Here are some rules to get started in text marketing:
1. Keep it legal: Even though SMS is nearly spam-free, there are people out there who are trying to upset this balance by attempting to sell text blasts to lists of random cell phone numbers. If you go this route, you can expect to be cut off by cell phone carriers – and Congress will certainly hit you with penalties. Consumers must opt-in to receive your text message marketing campaigns, so offer an incentive or two to sweeten the deal.
2. Don’t discard your traditional marketing: Text marketing is highly versatile, and can be used alongside traditional marketing methods. Restaurants can use table tents to encourage a text-in for a discount. A retail store can post a sign. You can even run a radio advertisement, instructing customers to text-in for a promotion from your business.
3. Give people some bang for their buck: People are wary about giving up their cell phone number therefore it is important to make them feel comfortable. One way to accomplish this easily, is to reward them – for those who opt-in to your text message marketing campaigns, they may have special “insider” access to promotions that others don’t have.
No comments:
Post a Comment